OTTAWA - The military will go ahead with prosecution of a Canadian army corporal facing multiple charges in the March 2007 shooting death of a comrade in Afghanistan.
Cpl. Matthew Wilcox was charged last October with manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and negligently performing a military duty in the death of Cpl. Kevin Megeney.
The head of military prosecutions decided to proceed after considering whether there was enough evidence for a court martial.
"Military prosecutors consider two main issues when deciding whether to prosecute a charge at court martial: whether the evidence is sufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction and whether the public interest requires a prosecution be pursued," said a statement Monday from the office of Lieutenant Colonel Bruce MacGregor, the Canadian Forces acting Director of Military Prosecutions.
"They continually reassess these issues as new information about the case becomes available."
The charges against Wilcox were "preferred" by MacGregor, a term used when an accused person is forwarded to the next step in the court martial process.
The decision whether to proceed with a trial is a touchy one for the military, as the wrong call could undermine the confidence of Canadians in the military justice system.
Megeney died in his tent March 6, 2007, at the NATO base in Kandahar after what the military called an accidental shooting.
The Defence Department confirmed at the time that the Stellarton, N.S., native was shot in the chest.
In a story written for the magazine Mother Jones, Dr. Kevin Patterson described in excruciating detail the desperate attempts to save Megeney's life after a bullet entered his right chest, just below his armpit.
Patterson said Megeney had no pulse when he was brought into the base hospital at Kandahar.
Megeney's uncle said the family felt for the shooter and his loved ones.
A general court martial will be convened at the first available date.
